COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Music does not belong to me, please credit the sources themselves.

◦◦◦─╌⊰ ⚜ ⊱⧐ ♛ ⧏⊰ ⚜ ⊱╌─◦◦◦

Water streamed down the pipes, whistling behind the wooden walls. Drops leaked from the moist wooden roof of the corner of Y/N's room where she stood. Using a towel she dried her wet hair and body, recently washed in the hotel's bathtub. She dressed quickly, already with lighter clothes than a few weeks ago, dropped the towel on her bed, and exited her room.

She crossed by the common bathroom door where she could hear Taehyung in turn scrubbing his hair while singing a soft, lovely tune with his mellifluous voice. He was noticeably delighted to have a warm bath after a long week of arduous lab work.

The girl pressed her ear on the door smiling to herself. She then headed to his room, opened the curtains, unlocked the windowed door, and stepped on the balcony.

She leaned on the wooden rails and gazed at scenery.

The sky was clear, with the first glint of stars embellishing the gradient orange-blue tint left behind by the setting sun. The weather was favorable and the smell of the blooming night-flowers filled the air with the aroma of early spring. For once in many months Y/N wasn't forced to curl her nose by the stench of swamp water, mud, moldy wood, and moss.

Down at the square, or so they called a larger area of the village elevated from the swamp with wooden platforms, the villagers had gathered around in a circle, with tables set temporarily, chairs, bottles and glasses, fairy lights hanging from building to building, and a bonfire in the middle where they roasted fish and meat. They all played ballads and sang together like a choir, exchanging spirited conversations and guffawing at each other's jokes.

'Feast of winter's end' they called it, which they celebrated each year. Y/N and Taehyung, however, despite being invited, were compelled to decline. It was too risky for them to be in any proximity with the villagers, who may have been infected by the plague even devoid of any symptoms. So, they promised that they would participate from a distance, raising a glass from Taehyung's balcony.

The villagers spotted her from the square and greeted her. Even old man Dr. Woo nodded tentatively. She smiled and waved back. Meanwhile, Taehyung opened the door and entered his room. Y/N turned to look at him wiping his hair with a towel and rummaging inside a drawer for a freshly washed shirt.

It took several attempts for the girl to snap herself out of staring at his naked top half for more than she preferred to admit.

Taehyung did not seem to mind, however, because when he caught her she quickly twirled her head away, which made him smile.

"Something that interests you here, my lady?" He said teasingly while loosely wearing a clean shirt, and leaving it purposefully unbuttoned.

He walked next to her and poked her flanks with his fingers making her giggle.

"Stop it!" She said flustered, retrieving away from him and covering her face with her palms, struggling to control her orbs from falling on his bare chest.

"What are we looking at, eh? Eh? Is something interesting happening here that you wanna see? Eh?"

He kept tickling her and eventually trapping her against the railings of the balcony. She chuckled.

"Taeh!" She tried pushing him and her hands 'accidentally' pressed on his chest.

"Ah, ah, ah! We've got a little pervert here!" He teased.

"I'm not a pervert!"

Y/N started laughing. She immediately retrieved her hands but the boy pulled them back on his chest.

"Oh, Gods, will you look at that! She insists on violating me, eh?" He theatrically brushed her hands all over his chest and belly as if spreading butter on bread, "Ah, ah, ah, now she's going for my belly! Wow, so bold!"

"Taaaeeeh!...hahaha...I'm not violating you! Button your shirt, come on!" She laughed, trying to contain the unsolicited heat stroke that suddenly surged in her entire body. Her cheeks flared with a bright red color.

Taehyung suddenly stopped, his expression changed into a sensual stare. He held her hands on his chest, but then he shifted them on his shoulders. Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes drifted from his whole face to his lips. She gulped harshly and clenched her jaw, burning with yearning. Taehyung mirrored her desire to kiss, but when he was about to slip his arms around her waist, the corner of his eye caught the villagers pointing at them, cackling and whistling.

He retrieved his arms hurriedly and stepped back from a terribly flustered Y/N, who leaped away from the range of view of the villagers.

The boy let escape a scoff which he choked with his palm on his mouth, "Well, now they know..."

They chuckled. Y/N leaned her back on the frame of the balcony door, once again failing to keep her eyes away from that damned unbuttoned shirt. Oh, that cursed unbuttoned, baggy shirt, loosely resting on his shoulders. Shadows engraved around his defined clavicle bones and the separating line of his chest muscles. Her eyes stopped at the spherical golden necklace. She fought the impulse to extend her hand to touch it.

She took a deep breath and lowered her head. She suppressed the desire for him to kiss her the way he did on the train a few months back. Her longing was so intense that it almost felt painful.

Loud guffaws and the popping sound of champagne broke the tension ripping her apart from the inside. She took another sharp breath and shook her head, finally managing to avert her eyes.

Observing her obvious inner battle, Taehyung stepped closer to her, "Are you sure you want me to button my shirt?" He jested.

"Just button the bloody shirt, Taeh, before---"

He stepped even closer, placing his veined arm on the wooden frame, next to her ear.

"Before...what?" He teased with a whimsical smirk, way too close to her blushing face.

"Before I button it for you," she replied narrowing her eyes, backfiring his provocation.

"Go ahead, then"

She made a small jump on the side to escape the enclosing temptation being presented in front of her, and leaned back on the rails looking down at the feast.

To distract herself she waved gleefully at the villagers to attract their attention. Maybe if she was involved in the celebrations, her mind and body would ignore and forget the flush of arousing thoughts and sensations carrying throbbing waves of smoldering heat and dangerous intentions. Which proved to be no easy task, since something had awakened inside of her, like a wild beast rising from its slumber, numbing her knees and legs. She thought that one more little push, one more provocation could make the glass overflow. So she persisted in avoiding eye contact with him at all costs.

Damn him!...she thought. What is he doing to me?...

Taehyung finally buttoned his shirt with a side-smile, poured two glasses of lemonade, and joined her on the balcony rails.

The festivities grew louder as the musicians merged into a band. The darkness of the night approached and the villagers started showing signs of intoxication from liquor.

"Wow, they're already drunk?" Commented Taehyung after sipping from his glass.

Y/N sighed, "Looks like it."

Silence ruled for a few long seconds.

"How was your day?" He asked after raising his glass at a dancing villager.

Y/N sighed again and replied angrily, "Well, Dr. Woo asked me for the tenth time to rearrange all the potion catalogs, find his missing spectacles, which I couldn't find anywhere, brew twenty viles of mixing liquid, carry all the boxes of record files from the old shed to the lab because he claimed that water was leaking from the roof and damaging the files, which I also couldn't find any hole anywhere. So, my back hurts and my wish to shoot him is rekindled."

"He's still anxious around you. He sends you on errands so he keeps you busy and away from him," commented Taehyung with a scoff, "Bloody hell, you gave him a good scare. You can be really intimidating sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, whatever," she snorted.

He placed his glass on the ground and approached her. She glanced at him and flinched when he started massaging her shoulders.

There it is again...she thought, clenching her jaw and biting her lips in the effort to ignore the wave of heat inundating her again.

"Where does it hurt?" He asked softly.

"Taeh, I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?" He asked as he gently brushed her hair apart to massage her nape.

Oh, no...she pretended to clear her throat to cover up a gasp prompted by the shivers under his touch.

"No, I'm fine really," she reassured him.

And when relief was about to kick in, instead of taking his hands off her, he hugged her on the side and remained as such, enjoying the view. She squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds to evoke the strength to ignore his hand on her waist.

Bloody hell, Selenya, pull yourself together!...she belittled herself inside her head.

"This is nice..." Said Taehyung longingly, while gazing at the villagers dancing.

Y/N cleared her throat again, "Yeah, it is..."

"How people can find beauty in life even when everything seems doomed," he continued, "We've been lucky. This could've ended up very badly."

"It still can," she added.

The band played the last notes of the musical piece and the villagers received it with applause. When the clapping ceased the musicians started playing a romantic melody. The crowd cheered and everyone looked for a partner to dance with.

"Well, now is not the time to mourn. If we have the opportunity to enjoy ourselves, then let's take it."

He offered his hand to her. She looked at it confused and raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like to dance?" He answered her wondering look.

"Taeh...seriously," she scoffed.

"Come on!" He asserted merrily.

"I don't know how to dance and I don't like dancing."

"I don't know how to dance either, now come on!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him.

"Taeh...I---"

"Oh, shut up and just swing, or I'll take my shirt off again!" He threatened her jokingly and placed her other hand on his shoulder after which he pulled her closer to him.

"Ha ha, that's really funny!" She replied sarcastically.

They softly swang around Taehyung's room in rhythm with the music.

Y/N struggled to keep eye contact with him. He chuckled.

"What?!" She exclaimed frustrated.

"Nothing, you're just too adorable when you're flustered," he replied.

"I'm not flustered!" She cried defensively.

"Sure you aren't," he giggled.

"I'm just a bit embarrassed, that's all! I've never danced with anyone before."

"Nobody is here to watch."

Y/N lowered her head.

Taehyung leaned in closer. Y/N felt his warm breath bouncing off her, tickling her ear. More shivers followed. She inhaled with a trembling breath, shutting her eyes tightly.

The boy lifted his head. Her image filled his vision. He absorbed every small detail of her pretty face, now somewhat stiffened, with an expression of preoccupation. The faint freckles dotting her nose, the eyelashes of her closed eyes, her reddish lips, now tightly clasped by the tension in her mind, her blushing cheeks, the bewitching scent emitted by her hair, her slender neck and collar bones. He inhaled her and touched his forehead to hers.

Y/N opened her eyes.

"Do you remember the first time I confessed my feelings to you?" He whispered, breathing her in.

"Yes..." she also whispered.

"Even now it feels the same. I'm just as nervous and excited as back then," he confessed with a trembling voice.

"I know..."

"There's still so much I wanted to do with you..." He exhaled, but his tone was as if he was addressing himself. As if his inner voice spilled on the outside.

Y/N farrowed her eyebrows.

He fluttered his eyes open. His lips were almost on hers. His hands slithered on her waist and stroked her back, pressing her body against his. Instead of kissing her lips, his mouth gently drifted down her neck. The subtle roughness of his shaven chin brushed her skin, giving her goosebumps.

"Wha...what do you mean, Taeh?" She breathed heavily, frowning by the effort not to gasp.

He tenderly moved the collar of her shirt to free his way to her neck. He then pressed his lips on her collarbone.

Y/N clenched her jaw and pressed her lips so hard, yet still, she failed to hinder a muffled hum that turned into a gasp for air.

The yearning became impossibly unbearable.

"Taeh..." She moaned pleadingly, tugging on his clothes.

Taehyung withdrew immediately. His eyes dilated by the shame and stepped back abruptly.

"I-I...I'm sorry..." He uttered, "I...I should've asked if..."

Y/N panted.

They stared into each other's eyes. Taehyung looked overcome with remorse. But Y/N kept breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" He asked tentatively.

That is it. The glass is overflown...she thought to herself.

The sounds of the world were muffled. She leaped towards him and kissed his lips with all the passion she had been battling to cage. All of her efforts failed. Her desires broken loose, like wind through brittle window glass.

She pushed him back while unbuttoning his shirt, and when one remained stubbornly stuck her hands cupped his jaw and tugged on his hair.

Teahyung's legs suddenly bent when they touched the frame of his bed. They fell on the mattress and Y/N displayed no intention of stopping. She mounted him and sat on his legs, kissing him intensely.

This time it was Taehyung's turn to moan and inhale. But within the shivers and yearning growing in his mind, overwhelming his senses. Among the desires summoning ideas of all the tameless things he wanted to do to her at that moment, a thought emerged victorious among ecstasy.

He suddenly pulled back, breaking their kiss. Y/N stopped too, furrowing her eyebrows worried by his perturbed expression.

"A...are you okay?" She managed to utter among her panting.

"Y-yeah..." He replied, "A...are you sure?"

She pressed her lips with a faint nod.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Selenya?" He whispered, searching her face for signs of security.

But her expression of avid desire, her breathing, and her beautifully tinted skin gave her away. Taehyung blamed himself for it. He should have been more careful. He teased her too much and played with dangerous fire.

"I want to..." She replied with a whisper.

She examined his hesitant frown.

"Taeberious, I really want to."

I know you do...he thought. Hearing her say his real name aggravated his struggles to resist her.

"Do..do you want to...?" She asked.

Of course, I do...but...I can't risk...The words were still processed in his mind, unable to convey them out loud.

His thoughts raced. His heart drummed in his chest. She was so beautiful, his emotions were magnetized by her, and most of all he wanted to make her happy.

Hints of panic that she might have shocked him started to kick in. She tried to dismount him, but Taehyung held her.

He smiled tenderly and kissed her. He knew what he needed to do.

He lifted her, placed her on the bed, and before crawling on top her, he finished her work to unbutton his shirt. He removed it, tossed it on the ground, and leaned in to kiss her lips. He moved on the side to her ears, then down her neck, then her collarbone once more. Dedicated every moment and took all the time in the world to savor every inch of her skin, every crevice, and focused more on every area that triggered the most pleasure judging by her reactions. He unbuttoned her shirt and kissed her arms, then back to her neck and lips.

Before going further down, he paused and looked her in the eyes.

"May I?" He asked in a low voice.

Y/N, who wasn't thinking anymore, the sensations of her body clouded every rational idea, every waking thought was obscured, she smiled and nodded.

He smiled back and worked his way through her torso while removing her boots and utighing the laces of her trousers.

When the canvas was bared, the way for him was cleared to leave no spot untouched. He kissed and caressed her bared legs, then slowly moved around kissing her inner thighs, persisting in the same place, as though marking the first steps, with prudent and thorough brush strokes.

Y/N's breathing intensified, tugging on the pillow and the sheets. She hummed and moaned, laughing occasionally to alleviate her embarrassment, but Taehyung did not stop.

The feeling grew exponentially when he reached the final destination. And when he earned the assurance that his deed was well received, especially when her moans grew louder and less tempered, he proceeded to ignite the fire.

Y/N squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth to inhale air, for it felt as though she had been holding her breath for hours on end. Insurmountable pleasure consumed every cell of her body, his actions like hot summer wind spreading a wildfire.

"Ah..." She gasped and grabbed his hand.

The feeling grew exponentially.

Luckily the music was sufficiently loud for her sounds to be covered.

Taehyung held her hand tightly as she was now fighting against the insupportable urge to scream. Her other hand dug on the pillow and her breathing became heavier and heavier.

"Taeh...ah...Taeh, please..." She breathlessly begged him, but not for him to stop, but rather not.

The pleasure turned into an explosive rapture. How can this become even better? She pressed her palm on her mouth to block the unavoidable, but the boy pulled it away...

He needed to see her in unadulterated ecstasy. He needed to see her happy...at least once.

He lifted his head and quickly crawled back up in order not to miss his accomplishment, but he slithered his hand back down, as not to ruin the progress. He absorbed her beautiful expression, her heavenly sounds, to feel her intense hot breath on his lips.

Y/N smiled at him. And like a hurricane concluding its cycle, relief and leisure fell like a feather on the ground.

The girl couldn't help but laugh. Taehyung, delightfully surprised by her reaction, also laughed.

"How do you feel?" He asked among his chuckles, still panting.

"I don't think I have the words to describe it..."